Multi-blade planer



April 9, 1957 F. R. EvERDs ET AL 2,787,846

MULTI-BLADE PLANERl Filed Aug. 14, 1955 l 2 Sheets-Shet 2 2,187,346 MULrIv-BLADEPLANER Francis rR. Everds, Estherville, and John H. Hanselman,

Algona, Iowa Application. August 14, 1953, Serial No. 374,338. Q Claims. (Clt 237-154) facing materials.l According to the present invention, a.

nlulti-bla'deV planer is providedwhichwill handle the suru 'face materiala plurality oftimes at each passandwhich will substantially reduce windrow losses. A. novel :means providedfor placing a resilient loadupon the planer board for maintaining it in substantially fixed position relative to the road :surfaceandf the blade structure itself is constructed to cause leveling ofthe roadfsurface ahead of(- theffrontwheelsof the grading vehicle thereby pret'tenting unevenmovements ofthe grader-and hence uneven movementsof the planer board; By the provision offthese features, a. planerV constructed according to they present inventionpermits the substantial elimination of the presently existing road `surface defectsy ata minimum of-tirne and effort.-

It=is therefore anobject ofthe present invention to prol vde a multi-blade rplaner 'capablev of operationA ahead'v ofY the frontfwheels4 ofthe graderewith which itis used.

Another object of the present invention is to/provide an'impovedffplaner which is'resiliently maintainedrmly againsttheroad surface. v v

`Another-'object of the present invention is to provide a planer whichis providedwith positive means for providing forwardsmovementfofthe planer and resilient means forfmaintaining'the planerin position againstthe surfacey beingV graded.

v"Still a further object ofthe pre'sent invention Iis to providea planer which maybe readily adapted 'to existing road grading equipment. f

Yet afurth'er object v.ofthe present invention iste providena--planer which is extremelyV durable and whichat thesaine :tin-tesis rconstructedzto vbe liftedfawayfrom lthe vroad surface without-interfering with the running gear of the grader to -whichitris attached..

A feature of the present invention is apparatus securing theplanerto thevv grader for'adjusting the level ofthe former relative ,to the. latterA and Iwhich lcauses ,the planer to,l be adjusted Y vertically at all ppnts to a ,substantially identical degree.;M

Another feature of the present invention is theprovision of a,tlneefpoint.loading` systerrrfor the planer which pervo'sitioninf'gnof"the,v 'planer against'fthefsurface to be gr i i d in' an equalized manner.

l Still another'object ofthe-presentr invention-iste'pro-H 787,84 d ,n Patented Apr.

vide; a multi-blade planer capable o f' attachment to the super-structure o-f road graders now in existence by means of' the power operated snowV plowA attachments thereon.

y Stillother and-furtherobjects and featureswillv become at once apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the attached' sheets of drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown by way of illustration only.V

On the drawings:v

Figure 14 is a side elevational view in partial cross section showing the planer of the present inventioninY assembled position on aroadgrading'vehicle; l

Figure 24 isa plan view'o-f. the planer of the present invention` taken along the lineII-II of Figure l;

FigureY 3 is a dietailedjview of; the loadingrnechanism for theplaner, and

Figure 4 is a` detailed view of the rear linkage for con trolling the planer.

As shown on 4the drawings:

As may be seen -frornl the drawings, the planer ofthe present invention is for use with a grading vehicle 1' hav-V ing conventional frame members 2, 3, 4, and 5v andwheels 25, 25a. T heplanerjcompri'ses a box fram'e'having a cross bar 1li constructedrfrornV I-beam or similar rigid material, andra second `cross member 11, which cross members mainjtain the side rails generally indicated at 12 `and 13 in fixedv position relative to one another. As may be seen from Figure l the siderails: 12 and 13 are constructed from several pieces. Theportions 12a, 13a areweldedto the cross bar 10 and securely welded at their rearward ends to the portion 12b, 13b.y The portions'lZb, 13b yare in turn welded to the rearwardly extendingportions 12e, 13C.' This arrangement provides a recess 14 beneath the axle l'fof-'the road grading vehicle, which recess provides clearance for purposesy described below.

Rigidly secured, preferably by welding to the box frame, are the planing cutter blade support members 16, 17 and 18.` These members are, for simplicity, constructedfrom structural members having `an L-shaped cross Isection and are positioned with the leg of the L facing downwardlyl toward the road and positioned toward the front of.'v the road grader 1. By rigidly securingthe supports 16,V 17' and 18-to the frame comprising the members 10,' 11,v 12 and`13, the frame is .angularlyrigiditied thereby providing any overall planer structure 4'which is' substantiallyv in-V iiexibley in all directions.

Specially hardenedl planer cutter blades 19, 20 and21 are secured by means `of'borlts 2v2 to the supports 16', 17 and 18. These cutting blades directly contact lthe surface of the road or other surface to be leveled and will, under heavy dutyV conditions, gradually become worn; Provi-l sion of the bolt type attachment means 22 permits ,the removal of the worn cutter blades for sharpening, or for replacement in case of extreme wear or yother injury.

Byv providing the cutter blades 16 and 17 in* an open V relationship to the side rails 12 and 13 and by likewiseproviding the splitterl blade 21 atanangle behind the opening, the road surfacing material ahead of the grader is leveled by the cutting bla-des and the material is pushed backwardly along the cutter bladesr 16 Vand 17 llinglin' irregularities.A Finallyvthe excess'passes through` the open# ing 23 and against theA splitterV blade 21 from which the material' passes toV the' manufacturers moldr board.` 24 which is standard equipment on substantially all 'road' and surface graders use today; While the blades 16"and 17 angle may be .varied if desired.

By'utilizing:thisfblading relationship the-material is handled at'leastthree timessin itspassagerfrom the-road surfacezimmediatelyfaheadof theiblades 16 and 17 to ythe position imrnediately'z:r behindi the; manufat-:turers. mold`r board 24. This continuous rehandling of the material permits the maximum in filling and leveling action and greatly reduces the number of passes required to completely level the road surface.

Placement of the cutting blades 16 and 17 ahead of the grade vehicle wheels substantially improves the leveling action of the present equipment since the surface reaching the wheels 25 has become substantially leveled through the passage of the cutter plates 16 and 17 prior to the time the wheels contact at the surface. Therefore, the frame of the grading vehicle tends to maintain itself in a substantially level condition throughout its travel along the uneven road surface. By utilizing this advantage in combination with the planer control structure described below, applicants have been able to provide far superior surfacing action to that known in the prior art.

One of the major difficulties found in prior art planer structures was the degree of bounce or jump found in the planer. This was caused by the fact that the planers used in the prior art were in most cases maintained against the road surface by their own weight, or were inadequately maintained in forced contact with the road surface. Thus, in situations of severe rutting or washboard effect, the planer blading would have a tendency to provide a chattering action rather than a smooth leveling. Further, the planer would, under such circumstances, vibrate to such a great extent that the grading vehicle Would be required to proceed at a relatively slow pace. Often times under such circumstances the prior art planing equipment could not be used at all and it became necessary to first utilize deeply cutting blades to remove a major portion of the ridges before a planing board could be utilized. By providing a firm downwardly and forwardly acting force against the planer of the present invention, the planer has become useful in resurfacing all types of surfaces, whether only mildly irregular or deeply rutted.

The structure provided for controlling the planer consists of a parallelogram raising and lowering mechanism in combination with a pair of downwardly angling thrust arms. ln grading vehicles adapted for use with snow plow attachments, the arms 26 are in most cases already pro vided for that use and the planer structure is constructed to utilize this portion of the standardized equipment.

Movement of the planer in the vertical direction is, of course, guided by the pivoting arms 26 but is primarily controlled by the spring loaded links 30. The links 30 are slidably mounted through the slide blocks 31 which are in turn pivotally mounted within the bearings 32 by means of the trunnions 33. The bearings 32 are fxedlysecured to the box frame by means of the platforms 34 secured to the side rails 12 and 13 and supported by means of the cross straps 35 welded to the cutter blade supports 16 and 17 respectively.

As may be seen from a consideration of Figure 3, the link 30 has, threaded to its lower end, a nut 36 or other similar fastening means of suicient diameter to prevent removal of the link 3!) from the slide block 31.. A spring 37 is positioned between the slide block 31 and an abutment washer 33 rigidly secured to the link 30, thereby urging the slide block 31 to a position abutting the nut 36. Movement of the link 30 in a vertical direction will thus lift the planer by means of the nut 36 acting upon the block 3l which is in turn pivotally secured to the planer super-structure. With the arm positioned as shown in Figure 1 however the planer is maintained tirmly against the road by the spring 37' which is somewhat compressed under normal planing operations.

The link 30 is maintained in the position shown in Figure l by means of a crank arm 39 rigidly secured to a .shaft 40. The shaft 40 is in turn actuated in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction by means of a transmission of conventional design enclosed within the housing 41 and under control of the operator of the grader vehicle from the drivers position. While the transmission may be of any. conventional design it is preferred that it be irreversible, such as for example of the worm gear type. Such a provision permits the ready adjustment of the position of the link 30 without permitting loads applied to the link 30 to react back through the transmission to cause a change in the adjusted position thereof.

ln order to maintain the planer in a level condition at all times, the present invention provides means for lifting the rear of the planer simultaneously with the front and to substantially the same degree. This means comprises a parallelogram bell crank linkage having a bell crank arm 42 rigidly secured to the shaft 40 and the arm 39, a reciprocating connecting link 43, bell crank arm 44 and a transmitting bell crank arm 45 which is pivotally secured to the lifting link 46. The bell crank composed of the arms 44 and 45 is pivotally mounted about the point 47 and the lifting link 46 is pivotally secured at 48 to the bracket 49 secured to the cross member 11.

Thus, it will be seen that rotation 0f the bell crank comprising the arms 39 and 42 will simultaneously cause an equal movement of the bell crank 44, 45. Thus, when the link 30 is lifted in its upward direction by movement of the bell cranks 39, 42, the lifting link 46 will simultaneously be moved vertically upwardly. This results in the movement of both the front and the rear of the planer simultaneously along a path which is substantially vertical.

As may be seen from Figure 4, the lifting links 46 form a triangle with the pivot bar 47 of the bell crank 44, 45. This triangular construction provides a single point of contact at the centralportion of the cross bar 11 and permits a universal joint action providing a relatively large amount of automatic angular adjustment of the planer relative to the frame of the grading vehicle. It has been found that this three point loading permits superior equalization of the load of the planer on the road surface and hence permits a more accurate surfacing action.

When the planer is vertically lifted by means of clockwise rotation of the shaft 40 and hence the bell crank 39, 42, the portions 13b of the side rails 12 and 13 respectively move upwardly toward the vehicle `axle 15. By providing the cut out portion between the members 12a and 12C and 13a, 13e, the planer frame may move upwardly to surround the axle 15 and the conventional steering tie rod link 50. This permits movement of the planer a distance sutiicient to clear the usual obstructions in the road and thereby permits the grading vehicle to move from place to place without causing any planing or other contact between the planer and the surface over which the grader is traveling.

While the planing structure and the apparatus for controlling it herein disclosed have been shown in connection with a road surface grading vehicle of the type in general use, it is to be understood that the planing board of the present invention is readily usable for other purposes than the surfacing of roads. For example it may be utilized in the initial grading of all types of earth sur faces, and is also useful in surfacing earth roads with gravel or other material which must be evenly laid. It is further to be understood that the planer attachments herein shown may be utilized with different types of grad ing vehicles, the only essential being the provision of means for rotating one or the other of the bell cranks 39, 42 or 44, 45, or in the alternative, of reciprocating one of the links 30, 43 or 46 to thereby permit control of the planer frame.

It is understood that variations and modifications may be made in accordance with the concepts disclosed in the present application without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. A planing board for cooperation with a grading vehicle comprising a frame, first and second cutting blades rigidly secured to said frame for positioning at points ahead of the vehicle front wheels for movement of surface material from the sides of said frame to the center thereof, a splitter blade secured crosswise in back of and in line with the opening between said cutting blades at a point behind the vehicle front wheels, and three point load applying and lifting means associated with said frame whereby said cutting blades are maintained in resilient contact with the graded surface by means of bars positioned at two spaced points at the front of said frame and single load applying means centrally secured at the rear of said planing board whereby said planing board may effectively adapt iself to the general contour of the surface being planed.

2. A planing board for cooperation with a grading vehicle comprising a frame, first and second cutting blades rigidly secured to said frame at points thereon ahead of the vehicle front wheels for movement of surface material from the sides of said frame to the center thereof, a splitter blade secured crosswise to said frame in back of said wheels and in line with the opening between said cutting blades, and three point load applying and lifting means associated with said frame whereby said cutting blades are maintained in contact with the graded surface by means of bars positioned at two spaced points at the front of said frame and a single load applying means at the rear of said planing board whereby said planing board may electively adapt itself to the general contour of the surface being planed, said single load applying means comprising a substantially universal pivot connection.

3. In combination in apparatus for grading rough surfaces, a vehicle having front wheels and a planing board extending from a point in front of said wheels to a point behind said wheels, cutting blades positioned at the front of said frame at a point ahead of the wheels, a splitter blade secured to said frame crosswise thereof at a point behind said wheels, and means for maintaining said blades in equalized contact with said surface, said means comprising rigid thrust means urging the front of said board forwardly and downwardly into contact with said surface, auxiliary resilient means for resiliently urging said board downwardly toward said surface at spaced points ahead of said wheels and a pivotally mounted link secured to said board behind said wheel for main* taining the rear of said board in contact with said surface.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,264,068 Hart et al. Aug. 23, 1918 1,335,906 Moats Apr. 6, 1920 1,530,545 Copeland et al. Mar. 24, 1925 1,807,639 Stocker June 2, 1931 1,865,328 McEachern June 28, 1932 1,994,817 Gustafson Mar. 19, 1935 2,259,747 Gustafson Oct. 21, 1941 2,622,500 Hugger Dec. 23, 1952 

